Atherectomy catheters are used to remove material from a blood vessel to open the lumen of the blood vessel and improve blood flow through the vessel.
Atherectomy catheters generally have cutters positioned at or near the distal end of the catheter. Some atherectomy catheters are designed to cut along only one portion of their distal circumference. Such ‘directional atherectomy’ catheters must be manipulated such that the cutter is positioned adjacent to the material to be cut. Such manipulation can involve urging the cutter against one side of a blood vessel so that material can be cut, and can involve rotating the proximal region of the catheter shaft so as cause rotation of the distal region of the catheter and thereby position the distally located directional cutter adjacent to material to be cut.
The present invention is directed to devices and methods for manipulating and urging a cutting element of an atherectomy catheter such that the cutter is positioned adjacent to the material to be cut.